Although some of these development programs did not directly contribute to fuel saving during the two oil crises, the invaluable technological breakthroughs from radical research projects like this allowed future improvements to be made, and are seen everywhere today equipping the most advanced, efficient aircrafts ever produced. In other words, companies involved in these programs absorbed the innovations from these projects and used them in the next generation of aircrafts. General Electric adopted the carbon fiber composite fan blade and advanced blade airfoil design from the prop-fan, and made the most powerful jet engine to date, the GE-90. Two such engines could power a passenger jet that used to require four, with superior efficiency
…show more content…
In fact, this should be considered the most valuable legacy of the crisis. It is no surprise that the crisis had created such profound change in the industry’s attitude towards efficiency. Neither this industry nor society as a whole had seen an actual energy scarcity before the 1970s; consequently, airlines simply had not taken potential price shocks into account. David E. Nye states in his book, Consuming Power, that the 1970s oil crisis was the first time for American society as a whole to realize its energy choice could actually echo. Although passenger volume continued to rise, the percentage of fuel cost doubled in 1973 alone, reducing the profit that could have been made had the entire fleet been more fuel efficient. As discussed in Section II, measures were immediately taken by the airlines in an attempt to scavenge a little more profit out of the depression. The practice remained after the crisis, and low cost carriers were particularly good at exploiting these fuel saving techniques. Nye have also characterized consumers’ response to the oil crisis as temporary, superficial and inconsequential, with “better insulation” allowing for “larger houses” and “improvements in gas mileage” made people “[drive] more.” Improved efficiency in daily life simply justified their increased consumption. In contrast, the aviation industry, whose profit was tied to energy expenditure, took the lesson as the key to their survival. The industry has since become more conscious of fuel burn when purchasing new aircrafts, and promoted alongside a series of efficiency enhancement modifications to various aspects of flying, without necessarily concerning the aircrafts’
In fact, this should be considered the most valuable legacy of the crisis. It is no surprise that the crisis had created such profound change in the industry’s attitude towards efficiency. Neither this industry nor society as a whole had seen an actual energy scarcity before the 1970s; consequently, airlines simply had not taken potential price shocks into account. David E. Nye states in his book, Consuming Power, that the 1970s oil crisis was the first time for American society as a whole to realize its energy choice could actually echo. Although passenger volume continued to rise, the percentage of fuel cost doubled in 1973 alone, reducing the profit that could have been made had the entire fleet been more fuel efficient. As discussed in Section II, measures were immediately taken by the airlines in an attempt to scavenge a little more profit out of the depression. The practice remained after the crisis, and low cost carriers were particularly good at exploiting these fuel saving techniques. Nye have also characterized consumers’ response to the oil crisis as temporary, superficial and inconsequential, with “better insulation” allowing for “larger houses” and “improvements in gas mileage” made people “[drive] more.” Improved efficiency in daily life simply justified their increased consumption. In contrast, the aviation industry, whose profit was tied to energy expenditure, took the lesson as the key to their survival. The industry has since become more conscious of fuel burn when purchasing new aircrafts, and promoted alongside a series of efficiency enhancement modifications to various aspects of flying, without necessarily concerning the aircrafts’